The Hall of Clestrain: measurement and bill for materials 1769

Account of the Measure of Patrick Honyman’s New House at Clestrain

This account, dated 13th September 1769, is an entry in the Sheriff’s Court records. It is four pages long but because of the size of the pages has been copied in two parts per page. Thus the right hand side is shown as e.g. 32r. It details the measurements and internal fittings at the Hall of Clestrain, floor by floor. It is reproduced here by kind permission of the Orkney Library and Archive and the National Records of Scotland. We have added brief notes for each page.

32r/33 Ground Floor

Reference is made to a passage, lobby, parlour, mid room, another room (unspecified) and a milk house. There were 7 sash windows, puttied and glazed, with the cost of shutters deducted, as they had not been put up. Three presses were built, one for clothes and two for books and papers. Note that the term ‘sketch’ is used for the plan or design and ‘lozen’ for a pane of glass for the windows.

33/33r First Floor

This floor had 9 windows, requiring 162 ‘lozens’. Flooring was supplied at 8d per yard. There were 7 doors, including the Front Door, which, like the external door on the ground floor, had a window light above it. Reference is made to a lobby, a drawing room (with partitions), a dining room and a ‘grain’ room, ‘grain’ referring to the finish or paint. There was a press in the dining room and a total of 5 fireplaces. ‘Bridleing’ seems to refer to the fixings for cast iron.

33r/34 Second Floor

Again there were 9 windows requiring 162 ‘lozens’. No specific rooms are mentioned but 6 doors were fitted (without frames) and lath partitions put up.

34/34r Third Floor

There were 5 windows on this floor, two of them without lintels, and in addition a circular window, which is evidence that there was once a pediment at the front of the house. Only 2 hearths (both ‘bridled’) but 6 doors and 5 small doors, plus 3 skylights. The circular window had lining above it.

34r The Garret Floor

This makes reference to the ‘roof of the tympany’, tympanum being the recessed face of a pediment. There was also a garret stair and 3 skylights.

34r The Wings

These each had 4 casement windows, 3 doors and stone stairs. Also 3 hearths, detailed on p35 as items omitted in the account for the wings.

35  Oxen Byars

 These had 2 doors and 2 open windows.

The Stables

There was a long rack and a manger, both 33 feet in length. Stalls were made from plain boards. There were 5 doors, 2 boarded windows and 2 skylights.

      Pigeon House

This had a small door and a very small cupola on the roof.

35r Some small Articles

Washing boards
Small tables
6 Bed heads
2 small ladders, each 10’
Putting up 2 screw beds

This page also details work not finished; a statement, made by Alexander Stewart and William Manson, that the measuring of the house has been carried out and that the work conforms to the given sketch of prices; and gives a list of Alexander Stewart’s expenses for boat freight, horse hire and overnight stays in Kirkwall.

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– Research by Fiona Gould -JRS Membership secretary